Calling to the Night
by Shining Zephyr
Summary: And here she was, a few years later, tears sparkling in his eyes. And the boy realized what she held in her hand. It was a pile of ashes. His ashes.


**Many heartfelt apologies for the lack of Danny Phantom I have been doing. I have found a new fandom in which I love and cherish, but DP will always have a special place in my heart. This was inspired by a song from the video game Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. It's very angsty, just to tell you. **

**I do not own Danny Phantom, and I do not own the lyrics to "Calling to the Night" by Natasha Farrow.**

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Calling to the Night

Quietly, he flew through the skies and felt the wind whip through his hair, his emerald green eyes scanning the city below. It was a balmy night in Amity Park, but the ghostly entity couldn't help but feel sweat gather on his forehead. His black outfit blended in with his surroundings, but his snow white hair reflected the moonlight that shone down on Amity Park. It was times like these that Danny Phantom pondered what he really fought for in the city that once hated and loved him. And even now, some people still disapproved of him- and it wasn't just the Fentons or the mayor. As he made his way towards a hilltop on the outskirts of the town, his mind wandered to the times he had saved the town from certain doom as the ghost teenager. But what about his other self- Danny Fenton? What had he done to help Amity Park?

Did people ever really notice him? Did they notice him when he was alive?

_Through the night, to the day   
When everything is gone  
Carry the soul away from the dryness_

Phantom rubbed his head in despair. It had been inevitable. Danny's death had been coming for a long time. As soon as Plasmius had tried to kidnap him from another one of his plans, he knew he wasn't going to make it. The whole idea had been simple- get Daniel to submit to him and say that he had won for once. Everyone knew it wasn't going to happen, though- Plasmius was hated by everyone as much as Phantom was then loved. But when they all discovered a dark and horrifying secret about the ghost teenager, the city realized it was too late. It was too late when Plasmius had kidnapped him.

It was too late when he was in the lab, chained up to a wall and fighting for his very life. The more shocks the man sent through his body, the weaker Danny became. And because of his strength, he couldn't morph into Phantom. Or so Plasmius thought.

In a last ditch effort to thwart the sadistic hybrid's plans, Danny had used the last of his energy to morph into Phantom and broke free of the bonds that held him against the wall. He looked completely furious, his hands aflame with emerald energy. In a fit of rage and hate, he dove for the bachelor and grabbed him by the neck. Plasmius looked completely surprised by this and had merely offered a choking retort of what he was going to do. Phantom slammed him into the floor and forced him... to become human.

Right in front of the rescue party that had just barged into the room. It was made up of Sam, Tucker, Maddie, Jack, Jazz, and Valerie.

_In the sun we see, fighting over lives   
All our dreams and wishes  
We send home for safe keeping   
Fighting for what's right_

And with this gesture, Danny's fate was sealed. It didn't take more than forty seconds.

Vlad Masters' face split into one of complete shock and disbelief. "Daniel?" he had managed to get out.

And the shock wore off within three-point-nine seconds.

A moment later, his eyes flashed blood red and he morphed back into his ghost form, reaching out and grabbing Phantom's own neck. The face of Phantom switched from one of hated sadness to stunned despair. He let go of the man's neck and felt his back suddenly crunch up against the wall. Pain surged through his body and he could feel the grip on his windpipe tightening. He struggled slightly, trying to grab Plasmius' hands and make him let go. But nothing could stop the enraged, newly exposed mayor of the city. No one wanted to move. There was the sort of feeling in the room that no one could change his fate.

Two rings of light split down Phantom's body, and in his place now was a raven-haired teenager with pleading blue eyes and flailing uselessly for breath. Plasmius didn't seem to care- in fact, the grip tightened more around the now-exposed teenager's neck. There was no remorse in his eyes as he moved his mouth, no sound being heard. _'Can you see Death yet?'_ he seemed to taunt.

Danny's only answer was the silent tears running down his cheeks.

_Calling to the night, to dream   
Forgain in the light   
Waiting for a storm to rise   
Feel the isolation fleeting _

And the air in the room seemed to leave as Danny's body limped over, his eyes closing. Tears fell from his face, hitting the floor with a soft dripping noise. Satisfied, the man whirled around and threw the boy's body into the concrete wall on the opposite end of the room. There was another shattering sound of bone to wall, and Danny fell to the floor with a dull thud. The late rescue party merely stood there for several long moments as Plasmius panted and glared down at the teenager. No movement was made from the boy.

But the whole thing was a different experience for Phantom.

He felt his own soul being ripped out of his physical body. As much as he wanted to stay put in the one place he had inhabited for so long, he knew that fate would not allow him to do such a thing. He could see everything that happened below as he was lifted into the air. He could see the crumbling figure of his mother falling to the floor in a fit of tears. He could see Jack kneeling next to his wife, dumbstruck and tearful. He held her in his arms, shaking his head in disbelief. He could see Valerie, Jazz, and Tucker rushing over to his body, dropping their weapons and kneeling next to their friend and brother. Valerie was shaking her head, constantly muttering, "It can't be, it can't be..."

But Sam... it was Sam who broke his heart.

_Calling to the night, to be, or not to be fighting here   
Leaving without you, leaving my soul behind   
Calling to the night, corners of golden crown fade with time_

Phantom saw the hill in the distance and spotted a figure standing at the top. He swallowed and flew towards her, turning invisible. The ghost didn't want to have her see him. It would be too heartbreaking for her, and he knew it. As he got closer and closer, he could hear her crying softly. A horrible feeling overcame his stomach as he suddenly remembered what day it was.

Three years.

It had been three years.

He floated in front of her and saw Sam holding a handful of dirt in her hand. It reminded him of the funeral that had happened merely a week later. A cremation, to be exact. Not many people had come- it was only close friends and family. Phantom had expected nothing less. As the fire burned, tears flowed once more, hugs were shared, and condolences had been exchanged. The ashes had been split amongst Maddie, Jack, and Jazz. Each family member wanted a piece of their beloved family member that had lost their life. It was only later on, though, that Jazz had given Sam some of the ashes of Danny. She seemed to understand how much he was a part of her life.

_Calling to the night, for us, for every single life   
All the ashes of men remain as a perfect memory   
Calling to the night_

And here she was, a few years later, tears sparkling in his eyes. And the boy realized what she held in her hand. It was a pile of ashes.

His ashes.

Sam stood up, letting her hand go and feeling the wind seep through her fingertips. The ghost, still invisible, watched the ashes of his body fly off into the wind.

_But the heart will remain, as a silhouette of time   
Hear the ringing echoes in the splitting horizon  
Calling to the night_

Her voice was soft, choked with emotion.

"Danny... I wish you could come back...

"Danny..."

And Phantom heard her voice echo in his mind as she called him into the night...

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**I know what you all are going to say. "Shiny, Phantom was OOC at one point! You suck! This is bad!" Well, if you thought that, I'm sorry. But I wanted to do the fic like this. If you don't like it, I apologize. But if you did enjoy it, go ahead and review. Thanks for at least giving this a chance. It's my comeback into DP, despite the sickening amounts of romance in here.**


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